In the wake of his annual State of the Union Address (http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/2006/)during which he emphasized
the importance of math and science education, as part of his broader American Competitiveness InitiativePresident Bush unveiled his Fiscal Year 2007 budget request, including $54.4 billion in discretionary funding for the U.S. Department of Education. That figure represents a $3.1 billion, or 5.5%, decrease from FY 2006 appropriations. However, one-half of that decrease is one-time costs for Hurricane Katrina/Rita relief ($1.6 billion). Moreover, even with the proposed reduction, discretionary funding for education would be up $12 billion, or 29%, since FY 2001, the greatest percentage increase of any non-Defense or Homeland Security Cabinet agency. Among the highlights:

a $35 million increase (total: $57 million) for Education's portion of the President's foreign language initiative, to significantly increase the number of U.S. students and workers learning critical foreign languages, such as Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Japanese, Korean, Russian, or Urdu.

$100 million for a new America's Opportunity Scholarships for Kids program, which would provide parents of students enrolled in schools identified as in need of restructuring (six years of missing Adequate Yearly Progress) with the option of transferring their children to a private school ($4,000 to cover tuition, fees, and necessary transportation) or obtain supplemental educational services ($3,000 for either after-school or summer school tutoring programs).

Higher Education Assistance

$850 million for Academic Competitiveness and National SMART grants, to bestow up to $1,300 to high-achieving first- and second-year students who have completed a rigorous high school curriculum and up to $4,000 to high-achieving third- and fourth-year students majoring in math, science, engineering, technology, or critical foreign languages;

$200 million for first-time funding for Title I School Improvement Grants, to build state capacity to support school and school district improvement;

$10.7 billion (an increase of $100 million) for special education grants to states; and

$54.6 million (an increase of $30 million) for statewide data systems, to expand support for state longitudinal data systems, to improve graduation/dropout data, and to help states comply with federal reporting requirements.

On January 25, the Department released peer review guidance for No Child Left Behind growth model applications (deadline: February 17). Under the pilot program announced by Secretary Spellings late last year, up to 10 states may use growth models to evaluate the progress of schools and school districts in making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) this school year. However, these models must meet seven "core principles." For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/stateletters/index.html#growthmodels.

Following the President's lead, the next "Education News Parents Can Use" broadcast (February 21, 8:00-9:00 ET) will discuss math and science literacy in the global economy. Over the last half-century, American ingenuity and innovation accomplished what was once unthinkable. Unfortunately, many American studentsespecially minorities and high school studentsare lagging behind and remain ill-prepared for the demands of today's workforce. Indeed, while students in the rest of industrialized world have improved in math, scores on international assessments for American 17-year-olds have remained flat since the early 1970s; a large achievement gap in math and science exists between white students and their black and Hispanic peers across all age groups; and, while jobs requiring engineering or technical training will increase by over 24 percent over the next eight years, the U.S. share of the world's science and engineering doctorates is predicted to fall to 15 percent. The American Competitiveness Initiative aims to reverse these "trends" and cultivate the next generation of innovators. For more information, please go to http://www.ed.gov/news/av/video/edtv/. (You can watch live and archived webcasts at http://www.connectlive.com/events/ednews/.)

According to the College Board's annual "Advanced Placement Report to the Nation," 14.1 percent of the graduating class of 2005 demonstrated mastery (at least a 3 on a 5-point scale) on one or more AP examsup from 10.2 percent for the 2000 class and 13.2 percent for the 2004 class. And, all 50 states and the District of Columbia reported an increase in the percentage of students succeeding on AP exams. For more information, please go to http://www.collegeboard.com/about/news_info/ap/2006/.

On the heels of the recent adult literacy study (see http://nces.ed.gov/naal/), a new, national study by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) finds 20 percent of American college students completing four-year degreesand 30 percent of students earning two-year degreeshave only basic quantitative literacy skills, or the skills necessary to compare ticket prices or calculate the cost of a sandwich and a salad from the menu. At the same time, the study finds no difference between the quantitative literacy of current graduates versus previous generations. Also, today's graduates are superior to previous graduates when it comes to other forms of literacy. For more information, please go to http://www.air.org/news/documents/Release200601pew.htm.

"We need to encourage children to take more math and science, and to make sure those courses are rigorous enough to compete with other nations.... Tonight, I propose to train 70,000 high school teachers to lead Advanced Placement courses in math and science, bring 30,000 math and science professionals to teach in classrooms, and give early help to students who struggle with math, so they have a better chance at good, high-wage jobs. If we ensure that America's children succeed in life, they will ensure that America succeeds in the world."
 President George W. Bush (1/31/06)

New Leaders for New Schools, a non-profit organization attracting, preparing, and supporting the next generation of outstanding principals for urban public schools, is accepting applications for candidates who meet 10 selection criteria and want to lead change for children in low-income communities. The training program features rigorous academic coursework, a year-long paid residency with a mentor, and three years of professional development and coaching. For more information, please go to http://www.nlns.org/NLWeb/Leader.jsp.

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